Justice

The Tasmanian Greens believe in a just, tolerant and fair society that provides equal opportunity to all people. It is the right of every individual to live with dignity, free from discrimination on the basis of their physical or mental attributes, appearance, or past experience.

The Greens will ensure that acceptance of difference amongst individuals is directly encouraged and supported, particularly by the media and education systems.

We recognise the need for strong, independent, properly and publicly resourced bodies to oversee the accountability of public institutions and corporations to increase accountability in public areas.

The Greens will maintain a strong Anti-Discrimination Act and legislate to provide equality for all Tasmanians under the law, regardless of race, gender, marital status, sexuality, religious belief, political affiliation, disability, age or culture, with all Tasmanians having adequate access to legal services.

Measures

Child Protection

The Tasmanian Greens will work to:

investigate the nature and extent of past abuse of children and recommend further legal and compensatory action;

update legislation, regulation and government departmental practices to minimise child abuse in the future;

maintain support for the Office of Child Protection;

maintain support for the Office of the Commissioner for Children;

support the work of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuses.

Drugs Use

The Tasmanian Greens will work to:

uphold criminal penalties, including imprisonment, for the supply of illicit drugs and the possession of illicit drugs above quantities consistent with personal use;

legislate civil sanctions for the personal use of illicit drugs to include diversion programs, compulsory treatment, education programs and penalties;

provide increased availability of diversion to rehabilitation, treatment and recovery programs as a sentencing alternative for people convicted of possession for personal use;

Public Protection

The Tasmanian Greens will work to:

extend and upgrade current legal protection given to those who legitimately report the improper or illegal activities of governments, government departments, non-government organisations and private corporations;

legislate to prevent corporations from initiating litigation designed to dissuade or prevent participation in public debate;

provide for an Ombudsman funded independently of the Department of Justice and detached from it;

legislate to give the fundamental democratic right to vote in elections to all people serving custodial sentences, but consult the Law Reform Institute and the Human Rights Commissioner as to who is given the power to rescind that right in case of particularly heinous crimes;

establish an independent inspectorate of prisons, responsible to Parliament, with the capacity to conduct unannounced visits to all custodial institutions in Tasmania, and make recommendations to Parliament regarding reform.